


In the Middle of a Dream

by rubylily



Category: The Last Story
Genre: Backstory, Gen, Introspection, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2018-02-11 03:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2052534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubylily/pseuds/rubylily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mirania and her peaceful days with the forest guardian.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Middle of a Dream

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oryx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oryx/gifts).



For a long time Mirania felt as if she had been in a dream.

She could not remember who had given her that name. How had she come into this forest? How had the guardian of the forest found her? But these were questions that needed no answers - her earliest memories were of the forest and its guardian, and for a long time it had simply been the two of them, sharing countless peaceful days. It was only when she had finally awoke she had learned of the world beyond the forest.

On one such peaceful day, she sat upon the grass, watching as petals danced in the wind. Beside her was the forest guardian in the shape of a great bird, something like a hawk, and it radiated pure light. Its wings were folded against its body, and Mirania rested against it, basking in its gentle warmth. This was how she spent most days, and she was content to be with the guardian like this.

This forest was beautiful, and she smiled as she watched the petals fluttering against the clear sky. She had never doubted that beauty, or had believed the forest could be anything but beautiful, and she could not imagine living anywhere else. She never wanted for anything, and the forest guardian cared for her like a child. She only had a vague idea of the outside world, and what use did she have for it?

Yet, she thought as she raised her hand to try to touch the petals in the wind, sometimes she still longed to fly.

_Mirania,_ the forest guardian spoke. Mirania never heard its voice with her ears, only with her mind. _All life is born from the earth and will someday return to the earth. To draw on the power of the forest is to draw on life itself. Do you understand?_

"Yes, I understand," Mirania said. She did not need to speak out loud, but she at least wanted to hear her own voice.

_Then please demonstrate for me._

Mirania stood up and clasped her hands together. As she summoned the magic of the forest within her, she began to float. It was not quite flying, but the magic that surrounded her was pleasantly warm. She inhaled a deep breath to calm herself so that her concentration would not break, and when the magic reached a peak, she finally unleashed it. Plants erupted all around her while leaves shot through the air, and when the magic was exhausted, her feet touched the ground once more, and she could not help but smile.

To hold such power within her made her heart race, and yet she could not feel more at ease.

_Very good, my dear child,_ the forest guardian said. _You are mastering everything I have taught you so far. Someday you will be able to leave this place and aid the world with your knowledge._

Mirania knelt at the guardian's side and put her arms around its neck. Its feathers were warm and soft against her. "I don't want to leave you," she whispered.

_Do not worry, child. I still have much to teach you, so we will be together a little while longer._

"Thank you." Mirania buried her face in the guardian's bright feathers. "I will stay by your side."

Thus she spent her days in tranquility. (Yet she had not realized how truly peaceful her life had been until she had seen the strife of the outside world.) Everything the forest guardian taught her, she mastered with ease. She even learned more than just magic - she also learned how to make medicines from herbs and plants, so when she fell ill, she was able to heal herself instead of having to rely on the guardian. However, as she grew older and wiser, she feared she would no longer need the guardian, and she wanted nothing more than for them to stay together, and thus there were times when she fell ill that she asked the guardian to heal her instead of helping herself, and the guardian always obliged. As long as she was not alone, she could be happy.

However, as the years passed, the guardian flew less and less, and Mirania's own desire to fly continued to grow stronger.

Eventually the land began to wither. She couldn't remember when it had begun, and one day she noticed that fewer and fewer flowers were blooming. As she walked through the forest, she felt more dry dirt against her bare feet than rich, soft grass, and when she tried to call forth the power of the forest, there was little life left to give.

The forest was dying, and Mirania could not understand why.

In the final days of the dream, the roles became reversed, as Mirania now cared for the forest guardian. Its movements were few and slow, and it had not flown in months. No matter how much she healed it or how much medicine she created, its body weakened and withered along with the forest.

"I don't understand," Mirania said as she held the forest guardian tightly. Its feathers were rough and cracked, but she did not care. "What is happening to the forest? What is happening to you?"

_The forest is dying, and when it finally does, so will I. Our hearts have always been one._

"Is there something I can do?" Mirania asked as her eyes hurt. "Why is the land dying now?"

_I do not know. I fear there is something siphoning the life from these lands, and thus the forests are dying. However, as I am now, there is nothing I can do._

"Why… why didn't you tell me earlier?"

_Please do not cry, my dear Mirania. I still had much to teach you, and I wanted to leave you with happy memories. But now I have nothing more to teach you, and I can finally rest without regrets._

Mirania bit her lip, and her heart pounded against her chest. "Please don't leave me."

_All things must come to an end, and all life must someday return to the earth._ The forest guardian's voice seemed quieter somehow. _Before I met you, I knew little of human beings, and in my ignorance I feared them. However, I believe you can save these lands. The world beyond this forest may be harsh, but you are strong._

"I won't disappoint you." Mirania wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I will find the truth and I will save these lands."

_Thank you, Mirania. You have always been dear to me. Perhaps we guardians can entrust this world to humanity._

Mirania remained by the guardian's side in its final moments, and when it took its last breath, she could not stop crying. The guardian's radiant glow had faded away to nothing, and its corpse looked no better than that of a broken beast's.

When her tears finally dried, she took a feather from the forest guardian's corpse. "Please watch over me," she whispered as she got to her feet. "Thank you for everything you've done for me."

The dream had ended, and now that she was awake, she took her first steps into the world beyond her forest.


End file.
